Let’s face it: homework can be almost as frustrating (沮丧) for parents as it is for kids. Getting kids to do their homework can be a challenge, and when they do sit down to study, a lot of other problems can appear.
Doing homework may not be as fun as playing video games or chatting with friends, but it shouldn’t be something that kids hate. Your children’s assignments (任务) should help them build a skill or learn something new.
You can help by being a homework monitor, stepping in to answer questions or offer encouragement. This gives you a chance to see what they are learning and how well they understand the material. It helps you understand their learning style and shows you care about their education.
Many kids refuse to study by asking why they have to learn things they’ll never use in real life. If your son or daughter shows little interest in their assignments, you can make them seem more important by pointing out ways you use them in daily life.
If parents feel that their kids are overloaded (超负荷), they can talk about it with the teachers. If you think it takes your child too long to finish homework, try to make a decision whether the problem lies in having too much work or managing time poorly.
If your child complains of boredom while doing homework, give him or her the following suggestions:
Get help from friends: if your children are bored with an assignment, let them call a friend for help or invite a friend over to work on it with them.
Add physical activity: set mini-goals for homework and allow time for relaxing, jumping around, or a snack after each goal is completed. For a kid who can’t sit still, find active ways to study.
Turn the tables: let your children teach you a lesson. Let them give you a test on the things they have just learned.

Passage 3
Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit (赢利的) organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer.
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children while parents are working. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents are seeing a doctor. Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer, I don’t want to get anything. Seeing the children’s happy faces, I’m happy, too.” Said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62. “I often played computer games in my spare time before. Now I help older people learn how to use computers.” said another volunteer at the age of 18.
If everyone helps out a bit, we’ll have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us 1-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www.activol.com.
【小题1】When do the volunteers help others?

Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help other people in your free time? Then join us．
We have jobs for people of all ages；Anyone from twelve-year-old children to 80-year-old people can become one of us．
You can help people in many ways．Schools need help with taking care of children while their parents are working．Hospitals need us to look after children while their parents see a doctor．Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes．There is something to do for everyone．
“As a member of this group，I don’t want to get anything．Seeing the children’s happy faces，I am happy，too．”said Susan，an old woman of 62．  
“I often played computer games in my free time before．Now I help older people learn how to use Computers，”said another one at the age of 18．
If everyone helps out a bit， we’1l all have a better world to live in．
Interested? Call us on 3847613 or visit our website(网站)：http：//www．activol．com．
【小题1】The passage is_______．

1 

There are seven days in a week. They are 76 __________, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Students go to school from Monday to Friday. They have many lessons，77          they can play after school. At the weekends, they 78        go to school. They are at home. They do their homework, help with housework, read books and watch TV. Some boys like to play 79       games. But they can’t play too much. It’s bad for their eyes. They have nice food and drinks. Sometimes they go out. They go shopping with their parents, see 80         , and play ball games like football, basketball, volleyball. They like their weekends.

Do you think that living a hungry life is last century’s story? Well, it may be this century’s headline.
The world has growing worries about a global food shortage. Right now, there are still 870 million hungry people in the world, according to a survey of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Children can’t escape this, either. Around fifteen million children die of hungry each year.
What’s causing food shortages? There are several reasons.
There are now more droughts and floods. This is very harmful to farmers and their ability to grow food.
Besides, with the growing population, feeding everyone becomes more difficult. There are a little more than seven billion people in the world. By 2050, the world population will be more than nine billion.
Another reason is food waste. The average person throws away 50kg of food every year.
How can we help with food shortages? The easiest way is to cut down on food waste.
Next time before throwing away the food on your plate, just think how much work has been done to make it. By buying less, we waste less. This takes the pressure off producing so much food. And it helps to solve the problem of food shortage.
You can also ask your schoolmates to join you.
In 2013, researchers at Kansas State University in the US put up short anti-waste slogans(标语) in dining rooms “Think Before You Waste”. Guess what happened? Students wasted fifteen percent less food after that!
The author of the study said, “You don’t need a huge activity to make a difference.”